Loggers and linemen use climbing irons to climb up or down trees and wooden utility poles while performing their work. The climbing irons provide an alternative means of ascent when other means, such as ladders, hydraulic lifts or climbing rungs, are not available. In effect, the climbing irons act as two movable steps or rungs that the climber repositions on the pole or tree to move up or down.
In use, individual climbing irons are strapped on the inside of a climber's legs, just below the knee. A rigid horizontal stirrup portion of the climbing iron is positioned under the instep of the climber's boot. The stirrup is secured to the climber's boot with a lower ankle belt. A rigid elongate shank extends upward from the stirrup to lay adjacent the inside of the climber's calf. The shank is secured to the climber's leg just below the knee by an upper knee belt and buckle assembly that wraps about the climber's leg.
A critical feature of any climbing iron is the sharp, three-sided steel blade, known as a gaff, which is affixed to a side of the shank opposite the calf and near the stirrup. The gaff provides the means by which the climbing iron engages the exterior of the object being climbed.
As a climber scales a pole or tree, he thrusts the gaff into the side of the pole to gain purchase. For example, to scale a pole, a climber will first drive the gaff of the climbing iron on one leg into the exterior surface of the pole. Once the gaff is securely implanted, the climber places his entire weight on the stirrup of that climbing iron. He then raises his other leg to implant the second gaff at an elevation higher than that of the first gaff. This process is repeated to incrementally move up the pole and reversed to descend.
The climber is also typically aided by a waist rope attached to a climbing belt securely fastened about the climber's midsection. The waist rope is long enough to wrap about the exterior surface of the object being climbed to provide the climber with an additional means of engaging the exterior of the wooden object.
The climber's safety is primarily dependent on the how well the gaff of his climbing iron penetrates and remains implanted in the side of the object being climbed. If a gaff fails to adequately penetrate the side of the object, the climber can lose his purchase and fall. The descent could cause serious physical injury or even death. The sharper the gaff, the better its penetration into the object being climbed. Consequently, the maintenance of an exceptionally sharp gaff is essential to the climber's safety. Correspondingly, this same exceptionally sharp gaff can pose a danger to both the climber or others nearby when not being used for climbing. Hence, protection of the gaff to both retain sharpness for climbing and to prevent inadvertent injury while not being used for climbing is of paramount importance.
Various forms of protective covers or guards for the gaff on a climbing iron are taught in the prior art. Williams (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,693 and 5,080,194) teaches a pivoting gaff guard. This guard includes movable components that could be damaged during use. The guard includes a conical socket to cover the gaff point that is held in place by tension in a spring-loaded member. When the guard is not in use, it pivots upward to lay against the inside of a climber's leg next to the shank. The guard is attached to the shank of the climbing iron using a clamp and screw assembly.
The Williams gaff guard has an inward lateral profile that can interfere with a climber's ability to reliably thrust the gaff into the side of a wooden pole. In addition, the Williams device poses a threat of entanglement. When placed in its stowed position, with the socket swiveled upward toward the top of the climbing iron shank, a cavity or gap is created between the conical socket of the gaff cover and the shank of the iron. This gap could potentially engage protuberances, wires or other items encountered during the course of a climb up a tree, telephone pole or power pole.
Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,358) teaches a different type of gaff guard where the gaff cover is completely removed from the climbing iron when not in use. Smith's guard requires that a fastener portion be clamped to the shank of the climbing iron. A conical protector is held in place over the point of the gaff by a non-resilient strap which connects by snapping to the fastener portion.
Smith's gaff guard is simpler than Williams', but has other disadvantages. First, the strap which holds the conical protector in place on the gaff could become disconnected from the fastener portion by snaring on a branch or other protuberance. Since Smith's guard does not provide any means to secure the strap and conical protector to the climbing iron once unsnapped, the strap and conical protector would likely be lost. The climber would have to obtain a replacement.
Additionally, Smith emphasizes the advantages of using a non-resilient strap as the means to retain the conical protector on the point of the gaff. However, a non-resilient strap requires that the fastener portion clamped to the shank be adjusted just right so that the conical protector is neither too loose on the tip of the gaff nor too tight such that the fastener might tend to become unsnapped.
Accordingly, a need exists for a simple and reliable gaff guard which is unlikely to be snared during use, can be used on any climbing iron, remains connected to the climbing iron when removed from the gaff to avoid loss, and is readily adjustable.